This week, take some time to try a different creative outlet. Try to pick something that you don’t normally do. Flex your skills in a different arena. There are a ton of ways to be creative. Whatever you pick make sure that you give it your all and enjoy it.
Expand your creative mind!
So you have fallen behind on those resolutions or plans you had for the new year. Perhaps your creativity challenge is a day late (a little like this post). Or maybe you are a couple days of your “everyday” challenges.
Don’t worry. Today is a new day. Start over.
Don’t be afraid to alter your challenge. Instead of saying you are going to write or draw or compose everyday, try saying that you will simply create everyday. Make a conscious effort to be creative everyday. Or look at why you have fallen off and adjust accordingly.
Don’t be so hard on yourself. It will stifle your creativity.
So today, if you are bogged down by your usual forms of creativity, try something new. Step completely outside of your box. Do things a little differently.
Get creative with how you get creative!
No matter what you method of being creative, it is always very important to expand your vocabulary. You can never know too many words.
Granted, as a writer, it is possible to use too many complicated words when simple ones will do. However, you still should know the complicated ones and what they mean.
Wordplay is fun. Creating art based on a new word is fun.
Here are some words you may or may not know. Attempt to use a few of the ones you aren’t familiar with in your next creative project or add them in to a current project.
officious
impassive
monstrosity
sanguine
conspicuous
toothsome
fervent
fruition
nuance
segue
treacherous
rampage
sumptuous
seamy
neurosis
leaven
culpable
zany
coddle
lacerate
goblet
brusque
menagerie
fractious
eccentric
braggadocio
heresy
glean
uncivilized
sensationalism
placate
recompense
hazy
insinuate
Want to find new words on your own?
This week try to unload the creativity from your brain.
Before you go to bed write for fifteen minutes. Unload all the your thoughts onto the page. Write. Sketch. Plan. Nothing needs to make sense. You could map out ideas for a project or you can write a few pages of a project.
Once you wake up you should do the same thing. Unload the first things on your mind. Throw them on the page. Write about a dream. Sketch an image that came to your mind. Write all of the things that come to your mind. Take fifteen minutes and get it all down.
At the end of the week, go over what you have. Try not to do it until a full week has gone by. Give the thoughts and ideas some space to breathe. There may be some jewels hiding there.
What is creativity?
What does it mean to you?
When I think of creativity I think of:
I don’t think there is one definition that works for everyone.
Begin your process by exploring your creativity.
What does creativity mean to you? How do you express it?
Highlight all the ways you exercise your creativity.
Partially used journals plague many writers.
Those with OCD may not want to tear pages out.
Why not repurpose them? Cover pages with paint or gesso. You can make it an art journal or just decorate the covered pages and write in the rest of the book.
There is no need to trash it.
I chose not to worry about completely covering the words. But you can cover as much or as little as you want.
Give new life to a book before you think about trashing it!
It is so very important for you to tap into your voice. Listen to your creative voice. It is wonderful to be inspired by the work of others. However, when you create you should make sure that you are being as you as possible. No one else can be you as well as you can be you. Your voice is unique and needed. Someone, somewhere, is going to be inspired or learn something from what you have to offer the universe. If you like a style, poem, song, or piece of art feel free to take that inspiration and run with it. Just make sure that you are doing it your way, not trying to do it the way it was originally done.
Be honest and true to your creative voice. It has wonderful things to say and share. You just have to trust in it.
First step to exposing your ideas is actually writing them down. Well you don’t have to write them in words but you do need to record them. You can not keep everything all bottled up in your head. Put things out into the universe, even if you are the only one who will see it. Once it is in the universe, you are more likely to make it happen.
Use your creativity to bring about change. This doesn’t have to be on the grand scale. You could simply start by making change in your life. Creating everyday then becomes a habit. Once it is a habit it soon becomes a way of life. Once you have this working within your life you can branch out to spread to others. Spin a creative web until you have reached everyone.
You can’t use up creativity.
The more you use, the more you have.
-Maya Angelou
Creativity is a gift that we must exercise on a daily basis. We can’t let it get lazy and fat. Before you know it your creativity weighs over 500 pounds and can’t get out of bed.
30/30 and other daily writing exercises help you to keep your creativity moving. Photo-a-day exercises help. However, sometimes you have to simply come up with the regimen that works best for you. Set aside to exercise in your creative method of choice. Just like some prefer yoga to cardio, others prefer drawing to writing. Find your own niche and go wild in it.
National Poetry Writing Month is here! Get started on your 30/30… 30 poems in 30 days.
Don’t write poetry?
Participate in Camp NoNoWriMo! Write your novel!
Draw or paint 30 projects.
30 blog posts.
JUST CREATE!!!
NO EXCUSES!!!
We will be posting creativity prompts daily and blogging about creativity daily.
Stay tuned!
Turtleberry Press 